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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25317679">Crossroads</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caillieach/pseuds/Caillieach'>Caillieach</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Determination, Doubt, Foreshadowing events, Gen, Pre-Kingsglaive, Titus Drautos may be General Glauca, and decisions must be made, but he is also only a man, glaives - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:00:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,490</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25317679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caillieach/pseuds/Caillieach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two paths. Both riddled with consequences. Making sacrifices seems to be a growing norm for Captain Titus Drautos of the Kingsglaive and one with no end in sight.</p>
<p>Written for <b>A Captain's Tale</b>, a Titus Drautos Zine (2019/20).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>A Captain's Tale</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Crossroads</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my constribution to A Captain's Tale, a Titus Drautos Zine moderated by the ever so wonderful <b>Bits, Merlin &amp; Vex</b>.</p>
<p>Thank you SO MUCH for bringing this zine to life, for making it happen and giving me the chance to contribute to it! I cannot begin to express how much it means to me. I've told you before but I'd shout it from the rooftops if I thought you'd hear it halfway across the world (or a few countries away as it is), but alas....you've done a <em><b>fantastic</b></em> job throughout the entire process, all three of you. You've worked so hard, done your best to overcome any and all difficulties, given it your all and created a truly gorgeous zine at the end of it all. You can and should be proud of yourselves. I am, very much so. <b>Thank you, guys.</b></p>
<p>Ironically and as much as I adore Titus, writing him is always a struggle for me. I do like this piece though and I genuinely hope you will too. </p><hr/>
<p></p>
<p>Edited by the wonderful <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeinNameIstJette">MeinNameIstJette</a>. </p>
<p>Ever the one who comes up with the best ideas including names for places, he allowed me to borrow the name for Titus' hometown - <em>Sennheim</em> from his incredible work <b><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/16147616/chapters/37729202">Preventing General Glauca</a></b> from him. Thank you!! :* If you haven't read it already, click here and give it a try right now! It's absolutely worth it!</p><hr/>
<p></p>
<p><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> </p>
<p>
  <em>All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, here: Square Enix. Any possible future original characters &amp; plots are my own. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended. I do not earn money with this.</em>
</p><hr/>
<p>And now, without further ado, please enjoy~</p><hr/>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Titus had never thought he’d return to this place as long as he lived. It had seemed too far away, although it was technically only about a three-hour drive from Insomnia. It feels...odd.  Ever since trading the low, welcoming whitewashed buildings and the always busy fisherman's pier for multi-story buildings of cold steel and concrete and the crowded shopping streets of the capital, the ruins he could see in the distance had seemed entirely unreachable. Unreal even. Like a parallel universe he used to dream of so often it became as familiar as the back of his own hand and then faded into the void, to be remembered years later as ‘<em> that dream </em>’.</p>
<p>And yet, here he was, standing atop one of the bold cliffs surrounding his hometown on two sides. Exactly where he had stood many times in his youth looking down at the bustling port it had been. Only this time, the unmistakable sounds of the Glaive going through their usual routine after a battle interrupted the scenic view. Titus’ brows furrow, deep in thought.</p>
<p>It was a little like two worlds colliding, a strange moment where the veil separating time and space was as thin as it could get. Although technically thinking of his ‘tenant’ - thankfully silent at the moment -, it’s <em> three </em> worlds. With the smoke in the air, the remnants of the inferno Altius and the mages had unleashed upon the enemy towards the end, and the fog rolling in from the sea, this place seems very much removed from reality. Even the nigh unbearable stink of the battlefield isn’t as bad as it usually is with the fresh breeze coming in from the ocean, the scent of salt and water in the air mercifully covering the worst of it.</p>
<p>It is a strange paradox, having his past, present and future all in one place. A moment that feels so unreal that for once, Titus feels frozen inside. Paralysed with the yearning for what he lost that he had held onto for years and yet could scarcely remember anymore. Standing here, with the men under his command he shouldn’t care for but got attached to way too quickly providing a low, equally reassuring and unsettling background hum, looking upon his past while his future, <em> Glauca </em>, whispers in his mind…</p>
<p>...it is exactly like looking into a mirror and not being able to recognize his own face anymore. Only worse.</p>
<p>A far too common occurrence lately, with the culmination of their - of <em> Niflheim’s </em> plans looming on the horizon.</p>
<p>The sense of terrible doom comes over Titus between one breath and the next, tendrils of swirling black momentarily disturbing his vision, blurring his view of the ruins of his past in a way eerily reminiscent of the day Sennheim fell. </p>
<p><em> 'Ah, they are awake…' </em> is Titus' last coherent thought before Glauca's malicious glee sucks him right back into memories of thick smoke, flickering flames and terrified screams. Of Sennheim burning, the phantom feeling of blood cooling and drying on his skin, his dagger’s handle slick in his too young hand…</p>
<p>"Captain?"</p>
<p>...Ulric. Abruptly, Titus comes back to himself, the Glaive's voice just loud enough to interrupt his mind's spiral of long past yet vivid despair. Titus blinks, the images of his past falling away as he becomes aware of his surroundings again. Still feeling rooted to the spot while his body wrestles control back from Glauca, Titus opts for a simple glance over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"Ulric." he acknowledges, his eyes shifting from the young man to his other Lieutenant. "Lazarus."</p>
<p>There is a question in their eyes, both men smart and observant enough to sense that something seems off about him. Unsurprising as they wouldn't be his Lieutenants if they weren't. Perhaps he really does seem off, unsettled by this place more than he'd like to admit, or perhaps it is Glauca's aura that they're sensing. Sometimes, it oozes out of him when he loses control of the daemon...</p>
<p>Titus beats them to the punch, aware that while <em> Lazarus </em> wouldn't necessarily ask, <em> Ulric </em> absolutely would. The man can be far too impertinent for his own good sometimes, something he has proved repeatedly during their frequent one-on-one spars. In hindsight, he shouldn’t have taken to mentoring the man, but alas. Titus clears his throat in an attempt to dislodge the lump stuck in it.</p>
<p>"Report."</p>
<p>Ulric's mouth clamps shut while Lazarus' smooth voice begins his report, ignoring his questions for the moment. Good. A part of Titus - the part that has become far too attached to his Glaives - doesn't disapprove of the clear interest in his well-being. Appreciates it even. But it is, no, it <em> should </em> be unimportant.</p>
<p>He listens as Lazarus and Ulric continue on their reports, each often adding details that were simultaneously helpful, but also mentioned with the sole intent of riling each other up. As the pair drone on, unable to refrain from their friendly but poorly hidden rivalry even in front of their Captain, Titus starts to drift again. What a circus his life had become. </p>
<p>The irony in it.</p>
<p>Here he is, Captain of the Kingsglaive <em> and </em> General of Niflheim's army <em> and </em> the more or less willing host to whatever the heck Glauca is, planning to overthrow a Kingdom from within in cold blood…</p>
<p>...and yet, he cannot deny that he is unbearably fond of those idiots under his command despite the fact that at least half of his grey hairs could be attributed to them.</p>
<p>They are only cannon fodder in this war, means to an end. Have been from the beginning, really. When Titus looks at any one of them, all he sees are dead men walking. Their fate decided the moment they joined the Glaive and put their faith in <em> him </em> of all people.</p>
<p>Him, their executioner. Even though they don’t know it yet.</p>
<p>What began as a simple means of integrating himself more, of improving his reputation within Lucis' military and therefore potentially gaining access to information above his rank spiraled out of his control just like the Glaive had long ago. Considered unflappable with a spine of steel and morals by Niflheim, Lucis and the Glaive alike, ironically, Titus is painfully aware that while he isn't just a man anymore - Glauca makes him more than that - he is still thankfully, infuriatingly only <em> human </em> at his core.</p>
<p>And humans form attachments. Titus is no exception as much as he wishes he were.</p>
<p>Sometimes, it makes him wonder. </p>
<p>There were moments even in Niflheim in which he came close to this. Moments in which he thought what he was feeling towards the Nox Fleuret siblings or the young blond spitfire with his inexplicable fixation on Leonis of all people might be vague fondness, perhaps the beginning of new bonds after losing his old ones the day Sennheim fell.</p>
<p>It was not and those vague feelings turned out to be superficial at best; in case of the Nox Fleurets mixed with old guilt that lost its sting long ago and therefore easy to ignore. </p>
<p>But the Glaive...the Glaive was different. There is no doubt in Titus' mind when it comes to them. They are <em> his </em>, for better or worse. </p>
<p>Lately, it unsettles him enough to contemplate the <em> 'what if's' </em>sometimes, the ones he only ever suppressed when they arose, the questions that have never bothered him overly much until now, so close to the end.</p>
<p>Because time is running out, the bomb’s already begun ticking.</p>
<p>Titus knows. He set fire to the fuse himself.</p>
<p>So, when he finally turns around to face Lazarus and Ulric, now done with their report he hasn’t paid as much attention to as he should have, Titus sees dead men in their stead. Glauca takes perverse pleasure in replacing their faces with smirking skulls for a brief moment, thriving on Titus' emotions the daemon does not understand but instinctively knows to use against him.</p>
<p>Titus suppresses the cold shiver running down his spine and blinks to dispel the vision, for that is what it was. Just a vision. A vision of the future.</p>
<p>Maybe it wouldn't be Titus' sword ending his Lieutenants' lives, but it would without a doubt be on his conscience. Or what is left of it, anyway. Unless…</p>
<p>...unless he somehow wins them to his side.</p>
<p>The thought strikes him like the lightning Ulric is so fond of flinging left and right in battle, crackling along his veins with a painful, warm intensity that could be called irrational hope. Their current plan does not involve the Glaive besides his order to keep them far away from the city - where the daemons could take them out one by one, his mind supplies - but what if that wasn’t necessary? What if he could win some of them over to his side?</p>
<p>What if they followed him? They were primarily fighting for their homes, their people, just like him, weren’t they? Perhaps...perhaps he could save them, place them under his protection if they submitted to Niflheim’s rule. They could be useful, an asset to the Empire. He would hav-...</p>
<p>“Captain, are you alright? You seem...off.” Ulric’s voice once more knocks him out of the skies, bringing him back to the present. </p>
<p>Titus registers Lazarus’ hissed <em> “Nyx!” </em> , without fail stepping up to remind Ulric that the Captain, that <em> he </em> ‘ <em> is not to be questioned, show some respect </em> ’, but he only listens with one ear, too distracted with studying the two men in front of him. The <em> ‘what if’ </em> echoing in his mind, framed by Glauca’s sense of sardonic amusement he tries his hardest to ignore.</p>
<p>Being here, in this place, haunted by the ghosts of his life, living and otherwise, unsettles him more than he’d like to admit.</p>
<p>Despite his rebuke aimed at Ulric, there is an emotion that might be concern or, far more likely, confusion in Lazarus’ eyes when Titus studies him, their colour the same blue-grey as the sea on a stormy day. An emotion mirrored far more openly in Ulric’s blue eyes.</p>
<p>They are loyal, both of them. </p>
<p>To him, Titus knows, both looking up to him and, despite Ulric’s tendency to occasionally ignore orders, following his lead faithfully although he does not deserve their loyalty. They are both loyal to a fault, but their <em> loyalties </em> couldn’t be more different. Whereas Lazarus is fighting for the <em> past </em> , for all that he’s lost - much like Titus himself -, Ulric is unmistakably loyal to the <em> future </em>, putting his trust in King Regis without hesitation.</p>
<p>And Titus can’t even fault him for it. As much as he hates Regis, the King, for failing his home, his people, on some days - few and far in between, even Titus can see why a man like Nyx would put his trust in the man. </p>
<p>“It is none of your concern, Ulric.” Titus finally brings himself to give an answer. “But yes, I am fine.”</p>
<p>Lie.</p>
<p>Having become far too used to feeling Glauca’s dark presence in his mind, sucking the light out of everything like the leech they are, finding himself confronted with his past in this place has left Titus far from ‘fine’ and very much unsettled.</p>
<p>But he would be, once he’s left this place behind in the past where it belongs.</p>
<p>One way or another, the end has already begun. </p>
<p>Every battle, every loss, every death, <em> every single one of his orders </em> was another step on the road to Lucis’ doom. Even if he were to confess his crimes to Lucis now - and here, with his hometown and the ghost of the person he used to be once upon a time hovering above him, Titus can admit to having at least thought about it -, it wouldn’t change anything but his own role in this tragedy.</p>
<p>Even if he were taken out of the equation, the Empire would win this war. Anyone who said otherwise was deluding themselves.</p>
<p>No, it wasn’t an option anymore. Even if he made that choice, something he doesn’t think he would, Titus doubts Glauca would let him go through with it. He is a strong man, always has been, but a life such as his, torn between two sides while a daemon chipped away at his sanity...it’s getting increasingly more difficult to assert his control.</p>
<p>It begs the question if he would even still be around to ease any Glaives willing to follow him into the new regime after all was said and done or if he would still be himself or more daemon than man. Who knows...Titus shoves the thought to the back of his mind. It is not important right now.</p>
<p>Getting the Glaive back to Insomnia to let them lick their wounds and bury their dead until the next battle, however, is.</p>
<p>“Rally the Glaives, usual protocols. We’re leaving in half an hour.”</p>
<p>Undoubtedly not entirely satisfied with his conduct, Ulric’s eyes lingers on Titus, clearly suspicious but suitably chastised by Lazarus and Titus’s own unimpressed gaze. The mutinous spark poorly hidden in the man’s frown is not lost on Titus, but lo-and-behold, he subsides. For now.</p>
<p>Titus knows Ulric better than to believe the man would back down just like this.</p>
<p>In fact, he is perhaps the one man under his command Titus knows best. And if he’s entirely honest to himself, he knows deep down that Nyx Ulric would never betray Lucis, not even if his Captain and mentor asked.</p>
<p>With a surprisingly heavy heart, Titus watches Ulric’s retreating back, already issuing orders to those under his direct command. </p>
<p>No, Titus would try, but he knows in his heart that he wouldn’t be able to convince the man to put his faith in him. He is too loyal. And too dangerous. Nyx Ulric is indeed a dead man walking, even if he doesn’t know it yet.</p>
<p>Lazarus, on the other hand, ...Titus turns his gaze to the blond man who is still there, waiting patiently until he has Titus’ attention.</p>
<p>“It may be none of our concern, Captain, but if there is anything we can help you with, let us know. It is what we are here for.” </p>
<p>Despite himself, Titus can feel his lips quirking up the tiniest bit as he takes Lazarus in. Usually the cautious, strategic one, his statement is something Titus would have expected from Ulric, not him, but then again, it does seem to fit.</p>
<p>“Noted.” Titus falls silent, hesitating only long enough to clamp down on Glauca rearing their head and thinking what he’s about to do before he calls his Lieutenant back.</p>
<p>“Luche.” The blond turns, eyes guarded but his body language open. Realistically, he knows that any Glaives following him in what is to come would pose a threat to Niflheim after all was said and done and would have to die, but their manpower...it would be invaluable. Titus doesn’t hesitate any longer. “I have a proposition for you.”</p>
<p>And the curtain falls.</p>
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